Waterproof footwear and the manufacturing method

ABSTRACT

A waterproof footwear, comprises a lining made of multiple layers of breathable and waterproof materials, an injected upper with mesh structure, and a sole. The mesh structure has plurality of holes to pass the air and vapor from the lining, and reduce the weight of the footwear.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to waterproof footwear. More particularly,the footwear comprises a lining, and injected upper with mesh structure.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Waterproof footwear, such as rain boots, wader, etc. is used to isolatefeet from water to keep the feet dry. Usually the waterproof footwear ismade in boot style, with elongated shaft. The upper and sole are made ofwaterproof materials such as rubber and plastic, and are sealed in onepiece. This design will keep the feet dry when walking in a depth ofwater, but it also makes the boots heavy. Also, the waterproof materialnot just isolates the water but air and vapor, therefore the feet willfeel uncomfortable after a long time of wearing.

Considering all these disadvantages mentioned above, it would bedesirable to provide a waterproof footwear which is light andbreathable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to develop a method ofmanufacturing waterproof footwear which is light, breathable, andcomfortable to wear.

A waterproof footwear comprises a breathable waterproof lining, asupporting upper with mesh structure, and a sole.

A method of manufacturing waterproof footwear comprising steps of:

sewing a lining with breathable waterproof materials according to alast;

applying the lining on the last;

forming a supporting upper over the lining applied on the last byinjection; and

forming a sole attaching to the supporting upper.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention with itsobjectives and distinctive features and advantages, reference is nowmade to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a waterproof footwear according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a waterproof footwear according to analternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the waterproof footwearaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the waterproof footwearaccording to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, FIGS. 1 to 4 depict thewaterproof footwear as a presently embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, Thewaterproof footwear 10 comprises a breathable waterproof lining 20, asupporting upper with mesh structure 30, and a sole 40. The lining 20 isinside the supporting upper and attached to it. The sole 40 is boundedwith the supporting upper 30 at the bottom.

The lining 20 is made of multiple layers of materials. Referring to FIG.3, from inside to outside, it comprises a layer of flexible textile 21,and a layer of breathable waterproof membrane 22. The material of thebreathable waterproof membrane could be but not limited to ThermoplasticPolyurethane (TPU), Polyurethane (PU), Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene(ePTFE), leather, and leatheroid. Preferably, the thickness of the TPU,PU, or ePTFE membrane is 0.01 mm to 0.03 mm; the thickness of theleather or leatheroid membrane is 0.03 mm to 1.2 mm.

The supporting upper 30 is formed outside the lining as a thin layer.Preferably, it is formed in one piece and is made of TPU, PVC, TPR, orTPE, alternatively, it is made of polyurethane or rubber.

The supporting upper defines the shape and contour of the footwear witha predetermined thickness. Referring to FIG. 1, in some portion of thesupporting upper such as vamp and quarter, it comprises a mesh structure31. The mesh structure 31 has plurality of through holes 32. The meshstructure 31 provides enough strength to support the upper of thefootwear, meanwhile, the air and vapor is able to pass through the holes32. Also the mesh structure 31 makes the footwear softer and moreflexible to wear, and the weight of the upper is reduced. The meshstructure 31 and the holes 32 can be designed in different shapes andsizes for waterproof and aesthetic purposes.

In some porting of footwear, such as the edge, toe cap and heel counter,the supporting upper comprises reinforcement pattern 33 which is thickerto increase the strength of the footwear. This area has no meshstructure.

Referring to FIG. 2, in an alternative embodiment, the footwear alsocomprises a upper cover 50. The upper cover covers the outer surface ofthe supporting upper. The upper cover is made of multiple layers ofmaterials and comprises at least a layer of breathable waterproofmembrane and a layer of flexible textile. Referring to FIG. 4, frominside to outside, it comprises a layer of breathable waterproofmembrane 51, a layer of flexible textile 52, an another layer ofbreathable waterproof membrane 53. The upper cover 50 may also comprisesanother layer of textile to protect the breathable waterproof membrane53. The layer of breathable waterproof membrane 53 or the textile toprotect the membrane 53 can be painted for decoration.

The footwear 10 may also comprises a reinforcement structure 60 In someportion, such as the edge, toe cap and heel counter. The reinforcementlayer 60 can be formed with the sole to cover a portion of the uppercover 50 to increase the strength of the footwear.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, in a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a method of manufacturing waterproof footwear comprises thefollowing steps:

(1) the lining material is cut and sewn to form a lining according to alast. The lining material comprises at least a layer of flexibletextile, and a layer of breathable waterproof membrane. The last has apredetermined size and shape to simulate human foot.

(2) the lining is applied onto the last.

(3) the supporting upper is formed over the lining by injection molding.A mold is made according to the design of the waterproof footwear, thenthe last with the lining is put into the mold for injection. It is worthmentioning, the mold is designed to form mesh structure on portion ofthe supporting upper directly, such as the vamp and the quarter,therefore the air and vapor can pass through the holes on the meshstructure from the lining. Also some portion, such as the edge, toe capand heel counter, is reinforced by forming the area thicker.

(4) then the sole is formed and attached to the bottom of the supportingupper.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method ofmanufacturing waterproof footwear comprises the following steps:

(1) the lining material is cut and sewn to form a lining according to alast. The lining material comprises at least a layer of flexibletextile, and a layer of breathable waterproof membrane, the flexibletextile is in inside. The last has a predetermined size and shape tosimulate human foot.

(2) the lining is applied onto the last.

(3) the supporting upper is formed over the lining by injection molding.A mold is made according to the design of the waterproof footwear, thenthe last with the lining is put into the mold for injection. It is worthmentioning, the mold may be designed to form the whole supporting upperor most area with mesh structure, and the thickness may be the same.

(4) the upper cover material is cut and sewn to form an upper coveraccording to the supporting upper. The upper cover material comprises atleast a layer of breathable waterproof membrane, and a layer of flexibletextile, the breathable waterproof membrane is in inside. The outside ofthe upper cover can be painted for decoration.

(5) the upper cover is applied to the outside of the supporting upper.

(6) then the supporting upper with the upper cover is placed in anothermold to form the sole and reinforcement structure onto it by injectionmolding. The reinforcement structure is a solid piece to cover someportion of the upper such as the edge, toe cap and heel counter, to makethe area strength, and to combine the sole and upper together.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method ofmanufacturing waterproof footwear comprises the following steps:

(1) the lining material is cut and sewn to form a lining. The liningmaterial comprises at least a layer of flexible textile, and a layer ofbreathable waterproof membrane.

(2) the supporting upper and the sole are formed by injection molding. Amold is made according to the design of the waterproof footwear, thenthe last is put into the mold for injection. It is worth mentioning, themold is designed to form mesh structure on portion of the supportingupper directly, such as the vamp and the quarter, therefore the air andvapor can pass through the holes on the mesh structure from the lining.Also some portion, such as the edge, toe cap and heel counter, isreinforced by making the area thicker.

(3) the lining is inserted into to supporting upper, and the collar ofthe lining and the supporting upper are sealed together.

In an alternative embodiment, a wader can be manufactured with similarmethod. A wader comprises a waterproof boots and a waterproof pants. Themethod of manufacturing a wader comprises steps of:

(1) sew the pants and the lining of the boots together.

(2) apply the lining on a last.

(3) form the upper and the sole over the lining. The methods describeabove can be used in this step.

(4) seal the collar of the boots with the pants.

While the embodiments and alternatives of the invention have been shownand described, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatvarious other changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A waterproof footwear, comprising: a breathablewaterproof lining comprises at least a layer of flexible textile and alayer of breathable waterproof membrane; a supporting upper with meshstructure covering said breathable waterproof lining, wherein said meshstructure has plurality of holes to let air and vapor pass through; anda sole attached to the bottom of said supporting upper.
 2. Thewaterproof footwear of claim 1, wherein said supporting upper is formedby injection molding.
 3. The waterproof footwear of claim 2, wherein thebreathable waterproof membrane is made of TPU, PU, or ePTFE.
 4. Thewaterproof footwear of claim 3, further comprises an upper covercovering the outer surface of said supporting upper, wherein said uppercover comprises at least a layer of breathable waterproof membrane and alayer of flexible textile.
 5. The waterproof footwear of claim 4,wherein the outer surface of said upper cover is painted.
 6. Thewaterproof footwear of claim 5, further comprises a reinforcementstructure coving portion of said upper cover to increase the strengththereof.
 7. A method of manufacturing waterproof footwear, comprising:(a) cutting and sewing a lining comprising at a layer of flexibletextile and a layer of breathable waterproof membrane according to theshape and size of a last; (b) applying said lining on said last; (c)forming a supporting upper over the lining applied on the last byinjection molding; and (d) forming a sole attached to said supportingupper.
 8. The method of manufacturing waterproof footwear of claim 7,wherein in step (c), a mesh structure with a plurality of holes isformed.
 9. The method of manufacturing waterproof footwear of claim 8,wherein in step (c), a predetermined portion is formed thicker toincrease the strength.
 10. The method of manufacturing waterprooffootwear of claim 8, wherein further comprises steps of: (a1) cuttingand sewing a upper cover comprising at least a layer of breathablewaterproof membrane and a layer of flexible textile according to theshape and size of the supporting upper; (c1) applying the upper cover tocover the supporting upper; (c2) forming reinforcement structure overthe upper cover by injection molding.
 11. The method of manufacturingwaterproof footwear of claim 10, wherein further comprises steps of:(a2) painting the outside of the upper cover for decoration.
 12. Themethod of manufacturing waterproof footwear of claim 7, wherein furthercomprises steps of: (a3) sewing a waterproof pants with the lining. 14.The method of manufacturing waterproof footwear of claim 9, whereinfurther comprises steps of: (a3) sewing a waterproof pants with thelining.
 15. The method of manufacturing waterproof footwear of claim 11,wherein further comprises steps of: (a3) sewing a waterproof pants withthe lining.